The 85-year-old pope is actually resigning "because of state-of-the-art age, " Benedict told the cardinals with the Catholic Church on Monday.

"Strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months has deteriorated in me towards extent that I also have to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to everyone, " the pope advised the cardinals, according towards Vatican.

The last pope to be able to resign was Gregory XII inside 1415. He did so to absolve a civil war within the church in which a couple of man claimed to end up being pope.

Benedict, the 265th pope, is the sixth German to serve as pope and also the first since the 11th hundred years. He became pope inside 2005.

He has led church as soon as the third-longest papacy in chapel history and during a time where the church is declining inside his native Europe nevertheless expanding in Africa along with Latin America.

Benedict's time as pope continues to be marked with a number of scandals and controversies, including countless new allegations of erectile abuse by priests.